


Carefully staying out of the shade

by a_term



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: F/F, Roses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-23 23:59:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14343696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_term/pseuds/a_term
Summary: It can be difficult to tell someone you love them. Especially when that puts you dangerously close to being in the same category as the insane and suicidal. Especially if you did die the first time.





	Carefully staying out of the shade

                Selene checked her naked self in the mirror. Her elven features shone, her hair was suffused with light, her skin glowed. She smiled. It wasn't a smile born of vanity, but of the pride of a job well done, the glow was literal. She had had to enchant her entire body to make sure she was glowing, and that the glow was present on every single square centimetre of surface, with modifications to allow her to see normally, so that no shade might touch her, a tiny, healthy precaution.

                Even for a mystic theurge of Sune, it had been oddly difficult, magic apparently thought that lighting up her insides was unnecessary, but her goddess had given her a few pointers, in person, after that failed first attempt.

                Giving her a new body had been nice as well, generally, dying was usually somewhat more final, but only somewhat, considering.

                Selene started putting on her clothes and equipment, all enchanted to shine as evenly as she did. All glowed the same colour as their material, so that she looked like a multi-coloured ghost. Since those were not that uncommon in Sigil and she wished to stand out, just a little, she decided to think she looked closer to one of those Mayfair trees from back home, all clashes of brilliant lights and colours.

                It was time to leave, the hunt was on.

                She let herself float, in the air, through the window and into the sky of the City, leaving glowing footprints in the sky and holding by its tip a giant conical package – a lot of roses – in the hope of finding someone most people wished to never meet.

                Her Serenity was nowhere to be seen, with a corresponding dearth of flayed corpses. Pity.

                After two hours of awkward leg crossing in mid-air so that no one would look up her skirt, she decided to land and simply ask. Finding a nearby dabu was that simple.

                The dabu was obtuse, which doesn't mean unhelpful, even if he also was that, but, eventually, Selene pried out a few glowing symbols telling her to go look near one of the Harmonium's fortresses.

                Selene was not particularly delighted at the idea of having to venture into the territory of the most hard-headed, stupid and self-defeating faction around. The things one does for love.

                Her objective's trail was well marked by deserted streets. Very helpful. The bouquet was leaking some of its water, waxed paper only went so far with so much flying. Less helpful.

                The hardheads' walled compound's doors were opened with the guards on either side starring ahead as if their skulls were hollow. Selene mused on that for a moment, how would one know that the hardheads hadn't been taken over by a mind flayer cult? In truth, no one would. Perhaps worth getting a few adventurers looking into that, good entertainment was hard to get.

                None of the guards stepped in to stop her although one or two shot her worried glances. She let them slide off her and proceeded further inside through the barbican and to the courtyard. A familiar and unpleasant metallic smell led her to the refectory.

                A few very dead people were slumped over a table with a copious amount of blood soaking all around them, a very tall woman with bronze skin and blades for hair loomed over a merely enormous troll. Her flaying shadow safely cast away from him.

                "And yes, we instruct the Clueless that it isn't good to poke the dabu." Selene had poked the dabu often. "I have no idea how those recruits were that stupid, the responsibility lies with them, they were specifically instructed not to do anything stupid like that."

                He was sweating a lot for the weather but not enough to truly be afraid, he knew he was going to live.

                He was right, the Lady of Pain turned around towards the door and paused upon seeing Selene who swung her still-wrapped bouquet behind her before stepping outside. She wasn't particularly fond of the presence of flayed corpses, they were rather unpleasant reminders of a previous experience, but, well, everyone's first time was always mightily terrible, wasn't it? Except when put in skilled hands, and the Lady evidently wasn't skilled at this.

                Well, anyway, she was stepping forward, slowly, face still impassive. Selene kept backing away, the bouquet too wide to be hidden, until both were in the courtyard. There were more romantic places than a police station courtyard but it would have to do.

                Selene closed her eyes, breathed in deep and opened her eyes. The lady stood before her at a respectable distance, far enough that the height difference didn't feel so awkward.

                "Please don't see any form worship in this. I assure you it isn't." That had possibly been the problem the first time. "And please believe that my feelings are genuine." Or it had been that she wasn't into women. "But I have admired you, your grace and dedication, for a long time." Or she just wasn't into her in particular, which just wouldn't do.

                She swung the bouquet back in front of her and pulled off the paper wrapping it.

                It caught a thorn and ripped before catching another and stopping for good.

                Typical.

                So Selene pulled harder until the paper ripped away completely and thrust the bouquet of blood-red roses up and towards the Lady, who had stepped forward and deftly dodged it. For a seduction attempt, it was going rather badly, but the Lady's hands were behind her back and her shadow was mercifully away.

                Selene tried her best and most winsome smile. She had already known death – a rather pleasant girl, all things told – several times and had had her soul imprisoned in a gem that some dragon ate, she had little left to be afraid of. Rejection and embarrassment, for example.

                The lady looked down at Selene, her beautiful face perfectly inscrutable, and extended a finger at her. Infinitely more delicate and graceful than Selene's merely elven body, it travelled with very deliberate slowness until it reached Selene's hand, where it sent a powerful message.

                The lady didn't care if you turned yourself into a shiny tramp, she could still cast a shadow just fine. She could probably, definitely, do it to any sun she wished. She could also, evidently, not flay people with it, much to Selene's relief. Once was bad enough.

                Selene stood motionless while the lady took the roses from her. She was motionless as cold sweat left wet trails down her back. She was still motionless when the Lady picked one out to bring it to her nose. Finally, Selene let her hands fall back to her sides and tried to say something, anything. She only let out a sound not unlike a badly rusted door, and the Lady finally looked back at her.

                She moved her head, almost imperceptibly. Selene let out a breath, still able to do so, relief flooded her mind and almost blinded her, her legs felt like they could barely support her, her whole body shook like a bamboo forest in an earthquake.

                All was good.


End file.
